Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes Sean Dyche's impact on the Everton squad has been clear to see since being appointed at the end of January.
Dyche got off to the perfect start as Everton manager by securing a 1-0 home win over Premier League leaders Arsenal, though has secured only one other win in his following five fixtures.
Up next for the Blues is Brentford, who are enjoying an outstanding campaign during their second season back in the top flight. The Bees are unbeaten in 12 Premier League outings, a run that stretches all the way back to October, and are pushing for an unlikely top-10 finish.
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Tipped to be among the teams among the relegation fight before a ball was kicked in August, the London side have exceeded expectations and it is instead Everton who find themselves at the wrong end of the table. Offering an outside view on the Blues, Frank is of the opinion Dyche has already 'put his mark' on the team and is an admirer of the ex-Burnley manager.
“I like Sean a lot. I've been privileged to meet him a few times when we’ve been together for, I don’t want to call them leadership groups, but when we’ve been together outside [of football]. I enjoyed it, it was good," he told Brentfordfc.com. "I also texted him when he got the job at Everton to welcome him back to the Premier League. It’s where he should be and he’s a coach that’s done so much for the league.
“I think Sean has definitely put his mark and his coaching style on them already. They are running much harder - you can see that visually, but also on the numbers. They are very organised and, defensively, very difficult to break down. I want to praise Arsenal for winning 4-0 [against Everton] but, until the first goal, and we know that happens in football matches, they didn't have a sniff in 40 minutes or so before [Bukayo] Saka’s goal."
Assessing the threats Everton are likely to pose at Goodison Park when facing his side on Saturday, the Dane added: “They're a very strong unit, they are very good on offensive set-pieces. I think they're very good at creating crosses, with players arriving in the box, so it's going to be another tough, tough test. I expect them to be very intense in their pressing. I expect them to be very intense and physical in the second balls and the duels.
“I think they’ll be very good at defending, so it’ll be difficult to find a way in to try and score. And I think they’ll also be very good at creating crosses on the side, like I said. So, that’s a challenge we’ll have to deal with and hopefully find a way to, not necessarily get around it, but through it.”
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